


Out of the Shadows

by MarianneMagnum



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, angsty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:02:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23881984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarianneMagnum/pseuds/MarianneMagnum
Summary: Running from her mysterious past and an unidentified villain, Nylelyth stumbles upon Thorin Oakenshield with his company. Aiding them in their quest to reclaim Erebor, will Nylelyth be able to remember her past, identify her enemy, and maybe even fall in love?
Relationships: Kíli/Original Character
Kudos: 3





	1. New Beginnings

**CHAPTER1**  
 **Nylelyth:**  
There really was no position to sit in and not get soaking wet while it was pouring down rain. It fell hard on my hood, making the long days weariness feel much worse. I had been traveling for two days, both of those had ended in rain and sitting against a tree trying not to freeze to death. Maybe, traveling just wasn't for me? I mean, I am very skilled with a bow, I can hunt, but life on the road was not one of my specialties. I had spent most of my life longing to see mountains and the rolling rivers. I had dreamed of traveling in the wilderness, just me and the wild. As a child my mother had told me stories of dragons, and beasts that I could not have thought of in my wildest imagination. The rain had stopped now as I thought more about if I should push on, or if I should return home. But what home? I thought to myself. My heart yearned for freedom, for the great plains, and mountains that I would see. But it also yearned for the comfort and warmth of home, something I might never feel again. I stood up, and walking in the direction where my heart took me, I pushed on.  
It had been some time since I had made my decision to continue moving, the stars had revealed themselves from under the clouds. Seeing this as a good opportunity to get some actual rest, I found the closest tree with the best view to climb and I hoisted myself up to the highest branch that could hold my weight. They were a source of comfort for me, wherever I went the stars could blanket me in their light. My mother loved the stars, often telling me stories from the constellations. After a while of gazing, reminiscing on the memories of home, the hairs on the back of my neck started to raise. Shuffling leaves down below, it sounded like something approaching. My body tensed, fingers slowly grasping my bow. There was definitely someone watching me. My heart raced, I could hear it pounding in my ears. Footsteps, twigs snapping, they paused. They saw me, they've found me I thought. Whipping around, I drew an arrow faster than a blink. The tip toes of my feet balancing carefully on the thin branch I had been lounging on. The person who had been stalking me from the shadows was there. The tips of their shoes only showing, they were trying to hide from me, as if I had not seen them or heard their steps.  
"Come out of the shadows!" I shouted to what seemed like a statue. He stepped forward, his arms raised as if he knew I wasn't afraid to shoot. He was a dwarf, short and heavy built. "Who are you?" I questioned. He smirked, his eyes gleaming in the light of the moon. His long dark hair covered his shoulders, he must be young, his beard was not down to the middle of his chest. He still had not answered my demands. I drew my bow further, an obvious threat. From the tree I saw him tense up and his smirk faded.

"M-my name is Kili!" He replied, fear shook his voice. "I won't hurt you! You can put your bow away!"

  
"How do I know that for certain?" Relaxing my arm slightly, I was scared. You should never trust a strange man in the woods, let alone a dwarf. "How do I know that you won't turn around and kill me?"

  
"Because I don’t often try to kill random girls in the forest!" He smirked as he talked.

"Do not patronize me, dwarf, look who has the arrow pointed at you." I said, pulling back again.

  
"Alright, alright. I apologize. But what are you doing out here by yourself? It's dangerous to be alone around here at night." Worry clouded his voice. I started to relax again. "Here come down and we can talk, I will stand here with my hands up the whole time." He raised his hands higher. I was hesitant but my tip toes were tired of balancing. Reluctantly, my feet made their way down to the solid ground. With the arrow still drawn I looked at the dwarf.

 **Kili:**  
"What are you doing here? What is your business in these parts?" The hooded figure, who stood a foot taller than me, demanded to know. Her hood covered most of her features except for the soft chin that peeped out from the darkness.

  
"I'm traveling to see my kin." I replied calmly, trying not to show my bluff. She kept looking over her shoulder in a paranoid manner.

"What is your business here?" Her eyes snapped in my direction as I asked. Deep, chocolate brown eyes, with flecks of gold in them, pierced into my very core. They stared at me for a few seconds before returning to look behind her.

  
"Someone is after me." She finally replied. "How did you see me?"

  
"Your leg was swinging below the branch. Although the rest of you was hidden very well. Also I believe it had been the humming that led me to you at first." I lowered my arms slightly. She scoffed at my response. "Who is after you?"

  
"I don't know."

"You don't know who is chasing you?"

  
"If I did I would've told you.

  
"Alright then, what do they want with you?"

  
"I don't know that either." She glanced over her shoulder once more, before feeling comfortable enough to remove her hood. Her deep eyes matched her deep oak brown hair, which hung braided down her back. The dark features of her face, matched with her olive toned skin that gleamed in the pale moonlight. I paused a moment before responding.

  
"So let me get this straight." I crossed my arms over my chest. "You were hiding from someone. But you don't know who that someone is, or what they want with you?" My brows furrowed as she nodded in confirmation.

"Well.." I started but she interrupted me, throwing her hand up to silence me. She notched her arrow again, and slid right past me almost silently. The wind rustled the leaves and I reached slowly for my bow, unsure whether I should ready an arrow. She tensed up, spun around completely, and released an arrow into the bush behind me, all in the blink of an eye. Whatever had been residing there, died with a final screech.

  
"What was that?" I said with furrowed brows, still holding my bow.

  
"A wolf." She murmured, notching another arrow. I followed her example as the brush behind her rustled. My heart began racing, it was too dark to see clearly and the light of the stars was not enough to make out any details. “Stay here” She whispered, stepping forward silently. The brush rustled violently, and without even thinking I released an arrow into it. The girl jumped back immediately and started screaming.

  
“What happened?!” I ran to her side “Oh no….”

  
“YOU SHOT ME!” She clutched her calf in her hands, the arrow sticking straight out the side. “Holy shit, you SHOT ME! What are you thinking?! Holy shit!”

  
“I’m sorry!” In full panic mode now, I tried to assess the situation while she writhed on the ground. The arrow pierced into the flesh of her calf, about halfway through.

“I’m so so sorry!”

“Oh god” She groaned. “I thought you said you didn’t kill girls in the forest?”

  
“I said I tried not to.” Realizing I was definitely out of my element to treat an arrow wound, Oin felt like the better option for medical care. I helped her up so she could use me as a crutch. “Come on, I know someone who can help”


	2. A Dangerous Traveler

**CHAPTER2**

**Nylelyth:**

I woke the next morning with a fright, on an unfamiliar bed roll and with ghostly dwarvish figures around me. I prayed to the Valar that this was some strange dream about dwarves, but I was severely disappointed when I opened my eyes to see them in the same spot.

"Alright, alright." The only familiar voice rang out from behind the group who was blankly staring at me. "Give her some room to breathe! Mahal's sake!" All the other dwarves took a step back, but still lingered. The dwarf from the night before, the one who SHOT ME approached. 

"How are you feeling?" The familiar dwarf asked, giving me some water. “I put your things by the fire to dry off.” 

"Well my head hurts." I replied, taking a sip of water. "My body hurts. I don't know where I am, and I don't know who any of you are. Oh and on top of that, you SHOT me." I took another sip and handed that water skin back to him. 

“Not very well, as Oin would say.” He leaned back slightly, looking at my bandaged leg. “I really am sorry, my nerves got the best of me. I’m still getting used to this bow.” 

“Rule number one, I shoot first.” I made direct eye contact, using my Don’t Mess With Me voice. He nodded in agreement, twiddling his thumbs awkwardly. The pack of dwarves lingered around us, obviously staring.

"I'm Kili, by the way” He gestured towards himself. “That's Fili, Bofur, Bifur, Bombur, Gloin, Dwalin, Balin, Ori, Nori, Dori. Thorin is off somewhere, and that's Bilbo." He named the dwarves off so fast that I could barely keep track of who was who. One of the dwarves stepped forward, his long gray beard touched the middle of his chest. Oin, I think his name was, was the healer of the group and had taken it upon himself to heal my wound.

"The arrow punctured your muscles pretty deep, but not deep enough to break your tendon. With rest and this salve, you should be just fine." He smiled at me as he wrapped a bandage around my calf. “Kili is one of the younger ones in the group, hasn’t seen as much hardship or terror as the rest of us. As stupid as he is, he’s as harmless as ever.” Tying off the bandage, he gave me a smile and wandered off towards the campfire. His features were gentle, and he seemed kind. Most of the dwarves seemed fairly nice. Except for the tall one, who carried practically an armory on his back. Bilbo, the smallest one, with no trace of any facial hair, seemed to walk around the camp barefoot. Which I thought was inexplicably strange, but no one else seemed to notice or mind. Nevertheless, I sat on the unfamiliar bed roll and fiddled with my bandage. My thoughts wandered from what the dwarves were doing here, to where my pack and now had gone. Before I could even finish my thoughts, Bilbo the barefoot one, came over with two plates of food.

"I thought I would bring you this, since it seems you would have trouble walking on your own." Before I could deny it, he shoved it in my hands.

"Thank you." I nodded to him, and he sat down next to me. I awkwardly ate my meal as Bilbo sat happily next to me.

"It's nice to finally have another non-dwarf in the company, well besides Gandalf." He leaned over to me, making sure no one could hear us.

"You're not a dwarf?" I whispered dumbfoundedly.

"Ha! No, I'm a hobbit. Thank you very much." He said very matter-of-factly. "Bilbo Baggins of the Shire. It's nice to meet you..." He paused as he waited for my name.

"Nylelyth." I replied between bites of sausage, and held out my hand for a handshake.

**Kili:**

The girl stayed on the bedroll, talking and giggling with Bilbo. I still had not learned her name, or even what she was. She looked like a human, but she didn’t move like one. She was graceful and swift, and almost silent when she wanted to be. She was a mystery that I couldn’t wait to solve. Thorin had finally joined us at breakfast, and sat on a log beside Fili and I. Staring into the coals of the fire, I now wondered who could be after her. She was quite pretty, maybe a marriage proposal gone wrong? Maybe even a wedding? Maybe she had run away from a forced marriage? Where did she even come from? My mind had wandered to almost all of the possibilities. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her rise to her feet.

"Well." She started to announce to everyone. "Thank you for the breakfast and the bandaging up, but." She hobbled over to her pack, wincing in pain. "I believe it's time for me to take my leave."

"Woah woah woah." Oin rose to join her. "You're not going anywhere with that leg, lass. You are in no condition to go anywhere alone."

"He's right." Bilbo chimed in. "You can hardly even walk!" He stood up with them, I did the same.

"Trust me," she swung her bag over her shoulder. "I've been through worse."

"Like what?" I replied, crossing my arms, almost like a challenge to her. I was fully aware of Thorin's death glare on me as I spoke. She didn’t respond. "Exactly, which is why it would be safer for you to travel with us." I argued, her chocolate brown eyes staring me down with a glare that could've turned me to stone. She scoffed at my protests. While Bilbo and Oin talked her into staying, Thorin called me over to the edge of the camp.

"What is it Uncle?"

"She's not coming with us." His icy blue eyes staring me down.

"Uncle, she can barely walk. You can't just expect me to leave her out here to die?" I said quietly as Thorin pinched the bridge of his nose in obvious annoyance.

"Fili!" He called, still pinching his nose. Fili came jogging over.

"What is it uncle?" Fili looked at both of us.

"Since you are an heir, and you will someday be making kingly decisions, I would like you to assist me in this decision of leadership." Thorin explained as Fili looked confused. "Do you believe that this random girl that Kili found gallivanting around the forest should accompany us?" Fili glanced between the both of us, back and forth before replying.

"Well..." Fili started.

"Fili, she could greatly endanger the company." Thorin said, staring directly at him. "If she were to find out our true purpose, and if that information spread, she could lead us to our own ruin."

"Uncle, she's injured. She can't even remember what she was doing or who was chasing her. It seems to me that she could care less about what we were doing." I glanced between them as I talked. Fili stared at me and then at Thorin.

"She will travel with us only until she is well enough to travel alone or until we find a town close enough for her to stay in." He held his head high as he made his decision. "No one will tell her anything about the quest. I mean ANYTHING." He stared at me as he said this. "Are we in agreement?"

"Fine." Thorin growled.

"Agreed." I nodded. "Can I at least tell her what we've decided?"

"Sure, but just know this. If she finds out anything, I will not hesitate to protect our quest and our company from danger, Kili." He ordered, I nodded in understanding and he marched off back to camp. Fili turned to me, grinning.

“We should most likely learn her name now, huh?” He patted me on the shoulder and headed to camp.


	3. The King and His Stars

**CHAPTER3**

**Nylelyth:**

The company had all their things packed and ready to head off. My small pack, with what provisions I had left, was swung over my shoulder. They mounted their ponies as I prepared myself to limp alongside them, although I didn't know how far that would get me. A hand was held out in my direction.

"You shouldn't be walking." Kili said with a smile. "It'll take longer for you to heal if you walk." Reluctantly, I took his hand and swung myself up on his pony with my good leg, holding on to him from behind. Once the pony started to trot along, I strapped my bag on to the saddle, making myself more comfortable for the long journey ahead.

"So, Nylelyth." Fili slowed down to get even with me. "Where are you from?"

"My mother and I used to live in the forests of Bree." 

"Used to?" Kili chimed in from in front of me, turning his head in my direction. I could see this piqued the company’s attention, so I spoke louder. 

"Yes, used to." I grabbed a hold of Kili's jacket a little tighter as visions of the burnt out cottage that used to be my home flashed in my mind.

"Just you and your mother?" Bilbo asked from behind us.

"Yes, Bilbo, just my mother and I." I replied. "I have never met my father, he died when I was a baby. My mother always told me that he was among the stars, always looking out for me." Everyone was silent for a few moments before Fili piped up again.

"Your bow." He asked, concentrating hard on the markings that covered the front of it. "Is that elvish? You are no elf, are you?" I felt all eyes on me, a strange reaction to a simple question. The ponies almost completely stopped at the inaction of their riders.

"Yes that is elvish." I replied sheepishly. "But no, I'm not an elf." A strange sigh of relief came over the company as I answered.

"If you aren't an elf, why do you have an elvish bow?" Ori, one of the smaller dwarves chimed in, Dori had given him a glare for asking.

"I wondered the same thing myself, Ori." I smiled at him. He shyly looked away.

"What do you remember?" Kili turned his head to me again. I shrugged heavily.

"I only remember as much as I just told you. The rest of it is as mysterious to me as it is to you."

**Kili:**

"The real question is, how well can you shoot it?" Bofur asked Nylelyth between puffs of his pipe. "We've been hunting for someone to beat Kili in an archery contest, since not one of us is even close to beating him. We aren’t the most archery friendly dwarves!"

“I’m not sure an archery contest with the man who shot her with an arrow is truly appropriate Bofur!” Fili laughed. 

"Maybe now she can get her revenge on me!" I chuckled awkwardly, hoping she wouldn’t take offense to their brazenness. 

"You might be our last hope, lass. We need someone to put him in his place!" Bofur hollered out with a hearty laugh.

“Sounds like the perfect time to teach the boy how to _actually_ use a bow.” She nudged me in the back. “Then maybe he wouldn’t go around injuring people!” After a loud laugh, the company went quiet and we rode onward. Still pondering who and what I was dealing with on the back of my horse, I was growing quite fond of her grip around my waist. 

The sun started to dip into the horizon as Thorin told us to settle in for the night. I helped Nylelyth off the pony and to a fallen log in the middle of the clearing. She awkwardly fidgeted with her fingers as everyone around her busied themselves making camp, all exhausted from a long day of traveling.

"Kili you're on first watch. Fili, you're after him." Thorin ordered from across the way. Once Gloin had the fire going and Bombur passed out the stew, the mood of everyone had improved. Bofur was singing a song around the fire and every so often the rest of the company would chime in. But the only thing I noticed was Nylelyth, shivering on the log I had left her on. Bofur continued his song as I got up to join her.

"You should really come sit by the fire. It's much too cold over here." She didn't say anything, but glared at me out of the corner of her eye. Without another word, I put my coat over her shoulders and I held out my hand to help her up. She glanced at me and then my hand. Reluctantly, she took it and hobbled over to the fire with the rest of the company and sat right between Fili and I. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Thorin glaring, I ignored it and listened to Bofur finish his song. When he was done, we applauded, then a looming silence fell over us, the crackling fire the only thing to be heard.

"What about you, lass?" Bofur interrupted the silence. "Normally I'm the storyteller and song singer, but do you have any stories or songs that you can remember?" She looked up from the fire, looking petrified to even talk. 

"Well, I, uh." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Yes, I guess there is one that I can remember." She looked over at me, her eyes wide out of embarrassment and fear. I laid a reassuring hand on the small of her back, immediately she tensed up.

"Go on lass, don't be shy." Dori added kindly. 

“Long long ago, there was a beautiful kingdom on an island in the middle of the sea. The shores shimmered with prosperity and hope. The king of this land was powerful, though he ruled fairly and justly. One day, a beautiful light came to visit the king, and took the shape of a woman. Enamored with the light, the king followed wherever it went. He watched as the light placed the stars in the sky, telling stories of people and places he had never heard of. They began to fall deeply in love, bonded through the placing of the stars of their own constellation.” She hesitated and pointed towards the sky. “It should be over that way, somewhere. After a while, evil began to spread throughout the land. The light was fading, it’s power attached to the hopes of the people. It knew it had to leave, for the power of the stars was too important to fade away. The constellation they had made together acted as a map, leading the way to the hiding place of his beloved light. Once the light had left, the king had to protect his people. He locked down the kingdom, never to leave again.” 

"What happened to the light?" Bilbo asked with a soft voice. 

"It was too late, the evil had penetrated it’s core. It slowly faded away waiting for it’s lover to find it. The light may be gone but the map remains, a reminder of what could have been for them if evil hadn’t gotten in the way." She glanced up from the fire to find all of us staring intently at her. Her cheeks flushed to a light pink.

"That is quite a story, Nylelyth." Bofur replied. Even Thorin and Dwalin looked intrigued, which was highly unlikely for them. After a few more moments around a dying fire, the company dispersed to their bedrolls. I stayed by the fire, while Fili wandered over to his own bedroll. Nylelyth stayed next to me.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" I asked her, nudging her with my elbow.

"I'm not very tired."

"Who told you that story?" I asked after a long silence.

"My mother did." There was a sadness in her voice, her eyes grew lifeless and dim every time her mother was mentioned. She frowned slightly, scooting a little bit further away from me. That was when I really looked at her. She had removed my jacket, and her body was skinnier than I had thought before. I could wrap my hand around her wrist more than once, her cheeks were sunken into her face. She looked as if she hadn't had a good meal in weeks. The fire crackled as we sat in silence, awkwardly at first.

"Nylelyth." I finally whispered, she looked towards me with her chocolate gold flecked eyes. "You don't have to answer this, but what happened to your mother?" Her eyes grew dim again, and she sat in silence for a few seconds. I didn't think she was going to answer, I thought she was just going to ignore me. But then she started to speak.

"It wasn’t that long ago, I think" her voice was slow and steady as she closed her eyes to remember. Her brows furrowed as she went on. "My mother came home from Bree, with more food than we normally got for the week. She had shut and locked the door with every lock we had. And all the shutters too. I asked her what was going on, but she refused to tell me. Saying it wasn't something to worry about, just precautions. She didn't let me leave the house. We rationed our food, by the end of the month we barely had anything. I had finally convinced her to let me go and get more food." She opened her eyes and tears were threatening to spill over, they were full of anger and sadness. "Oh, if I had not convinced her. I wouldn't be in this situation, she would still be here. It was that night, someone came, and they killed her. And set my home on fire. I don't know who it was, or what they wanted. But by the Valar, I would have given them anything." A single tear rolled down her cheek, and she breathed in to compose herself before she would lose it.

"Nylelyth..." I whispered, feeling guilty for even asking what happened. I shouldn't have pried into her business. Especially one as private as this. "I'm so sorry..." I put a hand on her shoulder and she flinched in fear. Panic shook her eyes.

"I think I'm going to go to bed." She replied, her eyes lifeless again. "Goodnight Kili, thank you again." She walked over to her bedroll and laid down without another word, with obvious tears streaking her olive toned cheeks.

"Goodnight Nylelyth." I whispered after her.

**Fili:**

Kili had woken me up for my watch. Groggy and unbelievably tired, I sauntered over to the fire and sat down. I had just pulled out my dagger to sharpen it, when I saw a dark figure, looming around the edge of the camp. A bow in hand, I watched as it swung a bag over its shoulder.

"Oi!" I whispered loudly enough for the figure to hear, the figure had turned around, and limped forward a little bit. "Where do you think you're going?" I folded my arms over my chest.

"Anywhere, Fili, I've overstayed my welcome." Nylelyth looked down at her feet. I walked over to talk to her closer.

"No, you're not going anywhere. You are in no condition to be goin' anywhere." She tried to turn away, but I caught her arm first. "Nylelyth, I know you've just joined us, but none of us would like to see you come to any harm." She contemplated for a moment and tried to turn again.

"Fili, you don't understand..." She argued.

"You miss your mother, I know you do." I let go of her arm. "Kili and I lost our father when we were just children. I know how hard it is, but please Nylelyth. Just let us help you this little bit." She turned and started to walk away, as if she hadn't heard any of my words. I didn't try to stop her, I knew I couldn't. But before she got out of the camp, she dropped her things where she had picked them up. She turned to face me.

"Only until I'm healed." Was the only thing she said to me, I nodded in understanding. She limped back over to her bedroll, refusing any help I offered her, grabbed Kili's coat, and laid back down next to him. Before long, the steady rise and fall of her breathing became deeper, she had finally fallen asleep.

  
  



	4. Born Again Archer

**CHAPTER4**

**Kili:**

The next morning, I woke up to the sun streaming directly into my eyes. To my surprise, only a few of the dwarves were awake, despite the sun shining down on all of them. Dwalin and Fili sat by the morning fire, both looking like they had gotten no sleep. Nylelyth, who I had fallen asleep next to, was nowhere to be found. I glanced back at Fili and Dwalin, who both pointed in the direction of the river simultaneously.

Maybe it was the singing that had lured me in, or maybe it was the way the soft waves of the river washed upon her bare skin.

" _You're a sweet little babe,_

_You're a sweet little babe._

_Honey in the rock and the sugar don't stop_

_Gonna bring a bottle to the baby."_

Her voice was slow and smooth, like butter spreading over fresh baked bread. The bottom of her hips were hugged by the water, the rest of her upper body breathing in the fresh forest air. Bruises littered her back, some yellowing and others vibrant purples and blues. She looked like someone had held nothing back as they beat her senseless. She stroked her hair as she kept singing.

" _Don't you weep pretty babe,_

_Don't you weep pretty babe._

_She's long gone with her red shoes on_

_Gonna need another loving babe"_

Her voice had lulled me into a hypnotic state, much like a siren lures her bargeman to his death. When I got closer, I could see that her ribs were almost visible. Her body was famished and starving, as if one more step would cause her to collapse. The singing had subsided into humming.

"I-uh, excuse me." I stuttered, still slightly hypnotized by her voice. Immediately, she dunked herself under the water, hiding herself from me. Her brown eyes stared deep into my core, almost reaching the very center again. "I just wanted to tell you that-uh, breakfast will be ready soon. And we'll also be leaving soon." She nodded, her wide eyes indicating embarrassment and fear. I made my way back to camp, still in shock at how bruised her body was.

She ate her breakfast next to Bilbo again, listening intently to his stories about his home. Life was slowly beginning to return back to her eyes, making them almost glow. I gave my empty plate to Ori, who was on dish duty for the day, and went to pack up mine and Nylelyth's things. As I began to strap my bag to the saddle, a soft feminine hand stopped me.

"Let me." Her gentle voice had frozen me solid as she pushed me aside. "I feel as if I have done nothing to help when I've been with you."

"You're injured, you don't have to."

"If I am going to keep with you, I must help at least a little bit." She tightened the final strap.

Throughout the day, the improvement of her mood had become palpable. She had taken to talking to whoever happened to be next to her, which most of the time was Fili, but occasionally Bilbo would slip in. Her arm had relaxed around my middle, only holding on to a small part of my coat. At midday, we had stopped for a moment to stretch our legs and fill our water skins in the nearby creek.

"Can I take the reins?" Her shy question had startled me.

"Well, I don't see why not. Have you ever ridden before?" She scoffed at me and mumbled something under her breath. Without a second glance, she leaped on the horse. Fili gave me a sideways look and I shrugged my shoulders, hopping on behind Nylelyth. She paused for a few moments.

"Kili..." She finally whispered. "I forgot how to make her go..." I chuckled and jutted my heels into Daisy's haunches. As Daisy started to move steadier, Nylelyth's body moved more in sync with mine. My thighs outlined hers, her body relaxed against mine.

"Here," I reached around to correct her hands. "It's more comfortable if you do it like this." I looped the reins through one of her hands, my hand grazed the deep purple bruise on her wrist. Her body tensed as my arms enclosed around her. Clenching her eyes shut, her breathing became forced. I backed off a little bit, leaving some room between her back and my chest.

"Thank you." She turned to me. I examined the back of her neck, a yellowing bruise in the shape of a hand around the nape of her neck. What had they done to her?

**Nylelyth:**

Kili had let me take the reins on the horse, and soon enough my confidence on horseback was remembered. I had taken to chatting among the company, learning new things about each one. Bombur, the fattest one, had been one of the best chefs in the Blue Mountains. Bofur, Nori, and Dori were all toymakers. Oin was the best healer they had. Gloin and Bifur were miners. Ori was a scribe, which explained why his nose was always in a sketchbook. Dwalin was the captain of the guard. Balin was the king's adviser . No one would tell me about Thorin, Fili, or Kili. I was told they were part of an important family, but what that family did was unknown to me. I didn't pry any more as we traveled on, there was an obvious secret they were trying to keep that I didn't know if I wanted to figure out.

"We'll camp here tonight." Thorin ordered as he swung off his pony, I didn't complain, for I was tired and hungry and ready for bed. With the sun on the other side of the sky, we started to unpack. Kili had been strangely silent all day, mostly taking to staring at my bare skin, the parts of me that were so mysteriously black and blue. When we were settled in, Kili took his quiver and bow into a clearing.

"Hey Fili." I nudged the blonde with the walking stick Bilbo had fastened together so I could move on my own. "I think it's time for our redemption." A big cheeky grin splattered across his face.

"Oi! Kili!" He shouted, the brunette fired his last arrow and turned to us. "Looks like you have a challenger!" Cheers of excitement rang out from the whole company.

A small ring of dwarves had gathered around Kili and I. A target had been painted on the tree with paint Ori had donated. I fidgeted with the string of my bow as Fili explained the rules.

"You each get three shots. Whoever hits closer to the middle of the target with the most arrows wins. No crossing this line." He pointed to the line that was drawn in the dirt. "Good luck." As the bets were flying around us, I fidgeted more with my bow, ready to get my revenge on this _boy_ and prove myself to this group of dwarves.

"I'm betting on the lass." Oin said, readying his coin purse to either empty it or fill it.

"You have two on your side!" Fili reassured, giving me a big smile. I nervously smiled back.

"Make that three!" Bofur added in, grinning from cheek to cheek.

"Ladies first." Kili said, gesturing towards the line. I stumbled to the line, getting my feet settled. "The pointy side goes first." Kili joked as I fidgeted with my arrow. I gave him the dirtiest glare I could conjure and notched my arrow. Before I released it, a gasp of anticipation from the company rang out. I cursed under my breath as my first arrow landed a few inches above the center target.

"Not too bad, still better than Fili!" Kili looked almost impressed. The company had turned in somewhat disappointment as Kili shot his arrow directly into the center of the target. He turned and smirked at me, my dirty glare returned. Settling my feet again, I breathed deeper, planting myself steadily, and ignoring the noise around me. I let my heart rate relax, and within seconds released the arrow. I knew it had hit its mark. The arrow landed directly on Kili's, splitting it into shards as it planted itself in the tree. I lowered my bow and glared at my competition. The dwarves were entirely silent, eyes darting back and forth between the arrow and myself. Thorin stood on the outside of the circle, leaning against a tree, a smirk of amusement on his lips. I tried to hide the pride on my face, but that was almost impossible. A howling laugh erupted from Dwalin, toppling over himself and bright red in the face. The rest of the company had followed and were all red and teary eyed. Even Thorin had begun to snicker.

"Now hold on!" Fili shouted between laughs. "Kili still has two shots left!" The laughter died down somewhat, and Kili lined himself up, firing an arrow 8 inches above the center mark. For my third and final shot, I breathed and settled my heart rate, as I did before. My arrow soared directly into the center spot, splitting my own arrow in two. Silence fell over everyone, their smiles fade in amazement. I stepped aside so Kili could fire his final arrow. He slowed his breath and released the arrow. It landed only a few inches below the two shattered arrows.

"It looks like we have a new champion archer!" Fili announced. Everyone started to cheer, and those who had lost their coin filled the others' coin purse. I held out my hand to Kili for a handshake. The rest of the dwarves had left us alone by now, cheering and bragging all the way back to camp.

“I’m glad you could redeem yourself, Nylelyth.” Kili accepted my handshake with a twinge of disappointment in his eyes.

"At least Fili will never be better than you." I whispered as our handshake released. With a chuckle and a gentle pat on the back, he helped me back to camp.

We had been sitting around the fire, our bellies full of food and Bofur telling a story. Out of the bushes an unfamiliar figure emerged from the forest.

"Gandalf," Thorin welcomed him to the camp. "We were wondering when you would return." The figure named Gandalf stood a couple heads taller than everyone around him, even myself. His pointy hat and staff I had recognized, but I couldn't remember where.

"Ah, yes." He replied with a smile. "Business with the head of my order is never short. I see everything seems to be in order, and you may have gained another member of the company?" His eyes wandered to me, sitting next to Kili. With his long steps, it took him no time to get over to me, his figure towering over me even when I stood up. "Nylelyth, what brings you to the company of Thorin Oakenshield?" His voice was calm, and nonchalant. My eyes grew wide with fear and confusion. Who was this Gandalf character, and more importantly, how did he know my name?


	5. Wizards AND Trolls?

**Nylelyth:**

"You're what?" My voice had come out harsher than I had intended. Gandalf had pulled me aside from the company, in an attempt to explain himself properly.

"We used to be great friends, Nylelyth. Your mother and I had known each other for a many number of years." My eyes wandered about him, maybe some part of him would have been familiar, but nothing had brought back any crashing memories. "I had heard of what happened to your mother, Sauroman refuses to believe why they were after you and her. We need to keep you safe, Nylelyth, there is no way you are going to be traveling alone any time soon." He sighed and his eyes peered around the camp.

"Why are they after me?"

"You truly remember nothing before that night?"

"I remember living in the forest with my mother, my father was executed by the Master of the Guard in Bree for stealing food from the Lord's reserve and we were exiled from the town." My tone hushed so no one else could hear me, Gandalf sat upon a fallen tree and listened intently as I spoke. "I remember going into hiding for a month, and we ran out of food so I had to leave and gather more. I woke up the next day, and found my mother dead outside, and my home completely burnt down. I don't remember anything other than that, Gandalf." He sighed deeply, disappointed in my answer.

"Of course she would make you forget…" He mumbled to himself.

"She would make me what?" He ignored my question.

"I cannot make you remember, although there are those who can. It is a dangerous game, and I am not willing to risk your safety with such recklessness. All I can tell you is to keep yourself safe. You are wanted by a higher power that will stop at nothing to have you. But we will keep you safe." He laid a gentle hand on my shoulder. Without another word, or explanation for that matter, he was off back to the camp. Astounded by our conversation, I needed to sit down. I made my way back to the fire to warm myself and mull over this information. Shrieks and hollers could be heard from the dark forest outside the camp. My hand swiftly grasped the handle of my knife, and Bilbo came sprinting over from his pony.

"What was that?" Terrified, he practically jumped over the fire.

"Orcs." Kili replied looking towards his brother, giving him a wink.

"Orcs?" Bilbo squeaked.

"Throat cutters. There'll be dozens of them out there" Fili added.

"They attack in the middle of the night. Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lots of blood." The brunette looked back at his brother giggling.

"You think that is funny?" Thorin stormed. "You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"

"We didn't mean anything by it." Kili apologized, looking down at the dagger in his hands in shame.

"No, you didn't. You know nothing of the world." Thorin stormed off.

"Don't mind him laddie" Balin reassured, looking at Kili. "Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs. After the dragon had taken the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had gotten there first." Those names sounded familiar, I had indeed heard them before but where? "Azog had sworn to wipe out the line, to end Durin's folk. He had murdered King Thror. Thrain, Thorin's father, had gone missing. Killed in battle or taken prisoner. Thorin had stood alone against the Pale Orc, cutting off his arm in the process. Azog the Defiler, learned that day, the line of Durin would not be so easily broken." Balin continued. "Our forces rallied, and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no song, nor feast that night. For our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived. And I thought to myself then, there is one that I could follow. There is one I could call king." Balin smiled at Thorin. Realization struck me, Thorin was a king? This was his royal company? Fili and Kili were princes? I was shot and adopted by a dwarvish royal family?! My thoughts were racing faster than dragon fire as the company shared a warm smile.

"The Pale Orc, what happened to him?" Bilbo asked, his eyes full of curiosity.

 _"_ That filth died of his wounds long ago." Thorin snapped back. They were silent for a few moments, before my whisper could be heard from around the fire.

_"The king beneath the mountain,_

_The king of carven stone,_

_The lord of silver fountains_

_Shall come into his own."_

Dumbstruck, everyone stared at me. I stood up straight, my eyes peering deep into Thorin as he stared at me, stunned. As I continued, I started to move towards Thorin. My eyes unmoving and hard, staring into the depths of him. Everyone around us had been silent the whole time, even Gandalf, who looked positively delighted that I had some memory flowing in me.

_"His crown shall be upholden_

_His harp shall be restrung_

_The halls shall echo golden_

_The songs of yore resung."_

"Who told you that?" Thorin growled as I got closer to him.

"You are the king beneath the mountain. The king of carven stone." My voice matched my hard eyes. Thorin erupted in anger.

"Who told you that?!" He grabbed my neck as he pressed his blade against me, squeezing almost as hard as he could around my neck. "I demand to know!"

"Uncle! Let her go!" Someone had ripped his death grip off me, I toppled over, gasping and wheezing for air. Gandalf had made his way in between Thorin and I.

"Thorin Oakenshield, you would do best not to harm her!" Gandalf's voice had grown octaves deeper, the fire dying to only coals. Thorin pulled back in fear. Only when Gandalf relaxed himself, the fire had returned to flame. "That is the daughter of Varda. If you would like to murder her only child, by all means, go ahead." Thorin's face had turned from anger to confusion. Kili had stood next to me, holding me up so I didn't fall over.

"It cannot be..." Balin chimed in from behind Thorin. "She never had a child."

"Long before you were alive, she bore a child." Gandalf replied. Still awestruck, everyone stared at me. I had finally caught my breath and was standing by now, Kili holding on to me so I didn't fall. "This is her only heir." The company had all risen to stare at me, and I had been staring at between Gandalf and Thorin the whole time.

"How do you know my mother?" My voice full of insecurity. Thorin took two steps closer to me, sheathing his dagger and then holding his hands behind his back.

"Your mother fought in the battle of Moria, alongside my family." Thorin replied, his voice calm and no longer filled with anger. "She was there when Smaug attacked. I had known your mother for many years, before she had disappeared." A warm presence behind me offered me some comfort for this news. I stayed silent, my heart clattering in my chest. My eyes darted to Gandalf, his face now strangely familiar after this.

"Gandalf... Is it true?" A simple nod was all I had gotten in return. "I-I need to sit down again." I grabbed whoever was behind me as I struggled to find the nearest spot to sit down, my heart still hammering in my chest.

**Kili:**

I helped Nylelyth back near the fire, her eyes instilled with confusion. The rest of the company had kept their distance, as she was still in shock.

"Nylelyth?" I placed a hand on her back. She welcomed the touch and turned to me. Her eyes wild with uncertainty, her disheveled hair had broken free from her normal braid.

"How would you react?" Her eyes hardened into the dirt. "If you had found out your mother was a great warrior? Or had been, I guess..." She looked up at me, her eyes which I had deemed so irrevocably hypnotizing had their same intoxicating feeling to them.

"I would be... frustrated." I replied, removing my hand from her back. "Frustrated that I had not known myself." Her mesmerizing gaze left me, and shifted to Thorin, who was intensely talking to Gandalf and Fili.

"I don't know what to feel." She replied, barely loud enough for me to hear. Without knowing how to respond, I placed my hand on her shoulder. Her eyes jumped to me, the firelight igniting gold flecks. We sat in silence as the fire crackled, and other members of the company had departed off to sleep in their bedrolls. Soon, we were the only two left.

"Kili?" A small voice beside me whispered. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course." I leaned back more on the log I was sitting in front of.

"I'm scared." Her voice had a sense of innocence, and her eyes matched.

"Why is that?"

"I don't have anyone in my life…" She stared into the fire intently. "I have no one left who cares for me, my mother is gone. I'm completely alone."

"No you're not." Gesturing towards the rest of the company who were all sleeping, I continued. "You have all of us. Might not be the best, but it's something, Ny" I nudged her arm.

"Do you have to call me that?" She glanced over at me with a smile.

"Well, I quite like it. It takes out the eternity it takes to say Nylelyth, Ny." I smirked at her, a soft laugh came from her. I felt a soft hand on my shoulder, and for a few moments there was nothing but the sound of the fire crackling.

"Thank you, Kili." The hand left my shoulder, and she hobbled to her bedroll for the night.

**Nylelyth:**

After travelling most of the day, we had stopped at an old farm house that was burnt to just the foundation for the night. I helped Kili unload Daisy's saddle as Gandalf investigated the burnt foundation.

"A farmer and his family used to live here." Gandalf explained to the company. "I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the Hidden Valley."

"I have told you already, I will not go near that place." Thorin argued.

"Why not? The elves could help us. We could get food, rest, advice."

"I do not need their advice." Thorin glared up at him.

"We have a map that we cannot read. Lord Elrond could help us." Gandalf replied. I perked up at their conversation, where was this company truly headed? Kili had told me that they were traveling to see their kin, but I had yet to hear any other information about where they were going or why.

"Help?" Thorin replied behind gritted teeth. "A dragon attacks Erebor, what help came from the Elves? Orcs plunder Moria, desecrate our sacred halls, the Elves looked on and did nothing. You ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather and betrayed my father."

"You are neither of them." Gandalf wisely replied. "I did not give you that map and key for you to hold on to the past."

"I did not know they were yours to keep." Thorin snapped at Gandalf. He stormed away, grumbling as Thorin gave out orders.

"Come on, Bombur, we're hungry." Thorin called. The rest of the night had been easy going, sitting next to the fire. Thorin had ordered Fili and Kili to take care of the ponies, and with a roll of the eyes they obeyed their uncle. Bilbo had been wandering around the camp, his brows constantly furrowed, and his hands fidgeting.

"He's been a long time." Bilbo worried aloud.

"Who?" Bofur replied

"Gandalf!" Bilbo explained.

"He's a wizard! He does as he chooses. Here, do us a favor, take these to the lads." Bofur held out two bowls of stew.

"I'll help!" I chimed in, Bilbo had given me a look of uncertainty. "I can do it, my leg is healing quite nicely, I could do with some walking." Shrugging his shoulders, he handed me a bowl. I grabbed my walking stick and hobbled in the direction of the ponies. As we got to the outskirts of the forest, Fili and Kili were both standing side by side, staring off into the blackness of the forest.

"What's the matter?" Bilbo asked, handing Kili the bowl.

"We're supposed to be looking after the ponies, only we've encountered a slight problem." Fili replied, not looking anywhere but the forest as I handed him his bowl.

"We had sixteen." Kili said.

"Now there's fourteen." Fili added in, both of them turning to Bilbo and I. We searched around the entire area, scouring behind every tree and branch. I resided in one area, as my leg had rendered me almost useless to the search party.

"Weren't you supposed to be watching the ponies?" I crossed my arms as I scolded the two brothers.

"Well, we were, but then Fili tried telling me that he could throw daggers better than I could." Kili argues, simultaneously searching for the ponies around bushes.

"Everyone knows it's true brother! Even Ny does!" Fili countered.

"Great, now you're calling me that too." I pouted as Fili gave me a cheeky smile.

"Daisy and Bungo are missing." Kili concluded to all of us as we gathered around the other ponies.

"Well, that's not good. Not good at all." Bilbo let out a little laugh. "Shouldn't we tell Thorin?"

"Uhhh. No! We shouldn't worry him." Fili blurted out. "As our official burglar, we thought you might like to take a look into it." Bilbo looked around, still holding the bowl of stew which was undoubtedly cold by now.

"Well..uh." Bilbo began, I couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Kili glanced at me with a smile. Bilbo noticed some uprooted trees and wandered over to investigate. "It looks like something big uprooted these trees."

"That was our thinking." Kili replied.

"Something big, and possibly quite dangerous." Bilbo's eyes danced around us in fear.

"Hey, there is a light! Over here." The blonde dwarf called out. "Stay down!" The three of them had sprinted off, running as fast as they could, leaving me barely able to catch up. They knelt behind a log, hiding from the source of the light. Out of nowhere, I saw a ginormous troll carrying both of the ponies under its arms. Each step the troll made vibrated the ground around us.

"They've got Myrtle and Minty! I think they're going to eat them, we have to do something!" Bilbo whispered to us.

"Yes, you should. Mountain trolls are slow and stupid, and you're so small!" Fili explained, but Bilbo was not having it, interrupting him with a wagging finger and repeated no's.

"It's perfectly safe! We'll be right behind you!" Kili started to push Bilbo into the light.

"If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl, once like a brown owl!" Fili pushed him into the light. "I'm going back for the others, stay here and make sure he's okay." We both nodded and Fili ran off. Peering around the tree, Bilbo had been on all fours, crawling towards the ponies who were enclosed by ropes. The three trolls had all been arguing about something, my heart rattled in my chest for Bilbo. It would be no problem for any one of these trolls to step on him and squash him like a bug. He had gotten to the rope gates of the pen, and unable to untie them, crawled over on all fours to the smallest of the trolls.

"Bilbo..no!" I whispered to myself, cursing under my breath. Kili had stood next to me, gripping the tree in angst as Bilbo reached for the troll's knife. All of the sudden, the smallest troll erupted in a giant sneeze, reaching for his handkerchief, he grabbed Bilbo along with it. The screaming from the trolls who had just discovered Bilbo had covered up the sound of the footsteps of the whole company who had sprinted up behind Kili and I. Fili handed Kili his sword, and I was left there weaponless. All the dwarves had their swords and axes drawn, I stared Kili down.

"Give me your bow." I nodded to the bow still strapped to his back.

"You're in no condition to fight!" He whispered back.

"I can help! Please, Kili. Just let me help." Reluctantly he handed me the bow and arrows strapped to his back. The trolls had been arguing back and forth with Bilbo on what type of creature he was. I gasped when the largest troll grabbed Bilbo around the middle and held him up high off the ground.

"Hold his toes over the fire!" The smallest troll wailed out. "Make him squeal!" Kili nodded to the company, who were all ready to pounce. Kili hurdled himself out of the bushes, slicing the back of the large troll's leg. I watched in unease as the trolls towered over him.

"Drop him!" He shouted up to them, swinging his sword in his hand. I strapped the bow to my back, swinging myself up the nearest tree, perching above everyone else. The hole in my leg throbbed with pain, but I managed to ignore it.

"You what?" The troll replied to Kili's swung his sword around, threatening the trolls further

"I said, drop him." Kili said, his eyes full of passion. Am I attracted to his battle face? I thought to myself. The troll threw Bilbo at Kili, making them both topple over. The company rushed out of the bushes, screaming and wielding their weapons. I was at eye level with the trolls, shooting Kili's arrows into their heads. I shot an arrow at the biggest one hoping to bring it down. The arrow landed right on the side of its head, but seemed to not affect it at all, for he kept swinging his arms hoping to grab a dwarf. I kept shooting. None of my arrows seemed to be slowing any of the trolls down at all. When the arrow hit, they would cry out in pain, but keep moving. Eventually, I gave up. As soon as one of the trolls got close enough, I leaped from the tree on to its back. My calf had been throbbing, but the pure adrenaline had blocked out almost all the pain. To get close enough to it's head without being killed, I climbed up it's back until it had reached around and thrown me to the ground. I landed with a thud into the bushes, the twigs scratching up my already bruised body. With the wind completely knocked out of me I lay there for just a moment.

"Drop your arms!" The trolls held Bilbo up by his limbs, pulling ether way.

"Bilbo!" I screamed, trying to get up as fast as I could. A strong arm stopped me from moving forward. "Bilbo!"

"Or we'll rip his off!" The giant troll yelled. Reluctantly, everyone threw their weapons to the ground.


	6. Another Shot

**Nylelyth:**

The trolls had tossed us all in sacks so we could not escape, and now it was all up to how they would eat us. Trolls are notorious for eating anything and everything they can find. Some of us sat in a pile, while they roasted some of us on a spit over a fire. 

"Don't bother cooking them. Let's just sit on 'em and squash them into jelly!" One of the trolls had suggested. All of the dwarves objected with loud voices.

"They should be sauteed, and grilled with a sprinkle of sage." The other one put in. Kili and I were next to each other on the ground.

"What do we do?" I whispered into Kili's ear, he turned to look at me.

"I don't know." His eyes screamed desperation. We were going to die here. After everything,  _ this is it? _ I was going to die because three trolls ate me with a sprinkle of sage?

"Never mind the seasoning! We ain't got all night, dawn ain't far away. I don't fancy being turned to stone." The troll bellowed. Bilbo's eyes lit up.

"Wait!" He hollered. He shot up from the ground. "You are making a terrible mistake! With the uh- seasoning!"

"What about the seasoning?" The troll leaned over to look at Bilbo closer.

"Well have you smelt them? You're going to need something a lot stronger than sage before you plate this lot up." He told him.

"Traitor!" Kili yelled at him

"Kili," I kicked him. "Just wait." I could tell that Thorin and I were the only ones that really knew what was going on, we sat back quietly as to not give Bilbo’s plan away. 

"The secret to cooking dwarf is..." Bilbo thought for a second. "is to..."

"Tell us the secret!" The troll demanded.

"Yes I'm telling you, the secret is to... skin them first!" Bilbo hollered out. The dwarves started yelling and cursing at him.

"What a load of rubbish! I've eaten plenty with their skins on!"

"He's right! Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf!" The smallest troll picked up Bombur and held him over his mouth as if to swallow him whole, right down his gullet.

"No! Not that one!" Bilbo yelled. "He's infected! He's got worms in his...tubes!" The troll dropped Bombur face first into the pile of dwarves. "In fact they're all infested. Infested with parasites. It's a nasty business, I wouldn't risk it. I really wouldn't."

"Parasites!? You have parasites! We don't have parasites!" Voices rang out from all over. I kicked Kili again and gave him a look, and he realized my insinuation. Soon after all the dwarves caught on.

"I've got the biggest parasites you've ever seen!" Someone yelled

"I've got parasites bigger than my arm!" Another chimed in.

"What would you have us do then? Let 'em all go?" The largest troll abandoned turning the spit to confront Bilbo. 

"Well.." Bilbo paused

"I know what he's doing!" One of the trolls roared. "This lil ferret is taking us for fools!"

"Ferret?" Bilbo replied sounding offended. A loud voice roared over the troll’s camp, startling all of us. 

"The dawn will take you all!" Followed with a roaring crack. The trolls were blinded by a light, shifting and crackling, turning into stone! Finally, they were solidified. When we got everyone down and out of the sacks, Kili came over and hugged me.

"I thought we were going to die." He sighed in relief. His brown eyes focused on mine.

"I'm glad we didn't." We shared a laugh and resituated ourselves, grabbing our belongings and starting our long journey for the day.

"There must be a troll cave nearby." Thorin had conspired aloud to the company. It wasn't that hard to find because of the stench, it was foul and musty, and very pungent. I decided to stay outside with Fili, even being outside of the cave was overwhelming for me. Gandalf came out with three swords in hand, he gave one to Bilbo and me.

"I noticed that you did not have a sword." He remarked. "Although bows and daggers can be effective, it's always nice to have a sword." I thanked him graciously. The sword was of elfish make, very rare, and with an exceptional blade.

"Gandalf," I said once I realized what it was. "I cannot take this! This is an elvish blade!"

"Exactly, my dear." He replied with a big smile. I looked at the sword again. It had carvings of elvish all down the center of the blade, the handle decorated in gold ivy leaves. I strapped it to my belt and we moved on.

"Something's coming!" Thorin yelled from up ahead. Everyone drew their weapons, I hesitantly reached for my new blade.

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!" A chunky little man came sliding in on a homemade sled pulled by rabbits.

"Radagast!" Gandalf welcomed him warmly.

"Gandalf, something is terribly wrong." He pulled Gandalf aside and they talked. Kili came up beside me.

"Now we may have to teach you how to use that." He snickered. The company lingered while Gandalf and Radagast had an intense conversation some distance away from the camp. There was a howling in the distance.

"Wolves?" Bilbo asked, "Are there wolves in these woods?"

"No those aren't wolves." Bofur replied with terror in his eyes. I heard loud pounding behind me, footsteps. Wargs. Like lightning, I sheath my sword and grab my bow. I whipped around and shot an arrow right in the middle of the warg's face. It fell with a loud thud as the light left it’s eyes. I never did care for killing animals. 

"Warg-scouts. Which means an orc pack is not far behind." Thorin roared.

"Who did you tell about your quest?!" Gandalf bellowed at Thorin.

"No one! No one I swear. What is going on?" Thorin replied.

"You are being hunted!" Gandalf yelled

"We have to get out of here!" I hollered.

"We can't. We don't have any ponies. They bolted!" Ori said.

"I'll draw them off!" Radagast offered.

"These are Gundabad wargs, they will outrun you." Gandalf argued.

"These are Rhosgobel rabbits." Radagast snarked back. "I'd like to see them try." Without another word he hopped up on his sled and the rabbits took off. We rushed to the opening of the forest,

"Stay together" Gandalf told us. When we saw the warg pack chasing after Radagast, we bolted the other direction. My leg was surging with every step I took. I could feel the blood pumping through it. The pack came close, but we hid behind a boulder before they could see us. One of the wargs had stopped, it stood on top of the rock that we were hiding behind, sniffing loudly for our scent.  _ They’ve found us _ I thought, my heart pounding. Thorin looked at Kili and I, I nodded. Notching an arrow, Kili and I stepped out from under the cover of the boulder, I aimed my arrow right at the orc's face. I hit my mark, while Kili aimed for the warg. He shot it and it fell from the rock making a loud howling noise. It landed and Dwalin and Thorin finished the job. But it was too late, the pack had heard us.

"Everyone move!" Gandalf shouted pointing out towards the grassy plain. As we ran, our enemy had surrounded us. We all drew our weapons.

"There's more coming!" Kili shouted.

"Kili! Nylelyth! Shoot them down!" Thorin ordered us. I aimed an arrow at one of the orcs, the warg he was riding was snarling and snapping at me. The orc slid off the warg, dead, but the warg still persisted towards us.

"We're surrounded!" Fili shouted. "Where's Gandalf?" I shot another orc down.

"He's abandoned us!" I heard Dwalin yell from the back. I kept shooting orcs, but more and more seemed to appear. They were growing closer and closer. My leg still throbbing from pain, I tried to ignore it. I heard a voice yelling at all of us.

"This way you fools!" Gandalf poked his head out from behind a cluster of boulders. Everyone started yelling at Kili and I to follow. I ran back, pushing Kili in front of me.

"Kili come on!" Thorin shouted. One of the orcs had released an arrow at Thorin, without even thinking I stepped in front of him. I cried out in pain as the arrow pierced my side. Thorin grabbed me and pushed me down the hole that everyone had been escaping to.

"She's been shot!" Bilbo cried. A horn called out a high tune from the hole we had all fallen through, not the likes of an orc horn, it sounded more friendly. I could feel the warm blood trickling down my body and absorbing into my clothes. An orc tumbled down the open hole after some commotion from up above. Shot by an arrow, Thorin pulled it out to inspect it. 

" _ Elves _ ." His voice was full of disgust.

"I cannot see where the path way leads, do we follow it?" Dwalin was on the path.

"Follow it of course!" Bofur chimed in. The arrow was sticking out of my side, coated in my blood and a sticky orange substance. 

"Ny!” Kili came over and slid my arm around his neck and a hand around my waist, I was too weak to refuse help. The blood kept seeping out of my wound, until my trousers were stained red. My vision was getting blurry, I started to fade in and out of consciousness. "Stay with me Nye." Kili whispered to me, practically dragging me along the path. 

"The valley of Imarldis. In the common tongue, it's known by a different name." Gandalf informed us.

"Rivendell." Bilbo whispered. At that moment, I could hold on to consciousness no more. I lost control of my body, falling into Kili’s chest as he held on to me tighter. The pain was spreading, like a thousand needles inside my blood, stabbing my skin threatening to break through. Arms scooped me up, and I felt their pace hasten. My vision was going black around the edges, my hearing was fuzzy. The arms had disappeared, and I lay on what felt like a rock slab, blackness swirling all around me and threatening to take over completely. I writhed around as if someone stood over me with a dagger, cutting every inch of my skin slowly. Someone was talking to me, holding my hand and stroking my hair, as if to comfort me.

"Stay with me!" The voice said to me. "Is there nothing you can do?! Nylelyth! Look at me! Fight it Nye! Fight it!" My screams became somewhat inhuman, my voice cracked and croaked. Someone pressed something warm against my side, where my wound was. There was chanting, and then a great, familiar light. It got brighter and brighter until I eventually lost all consciousness. 


	7. Unimaginable Revelations

**Nylelyth:**

I woke up to a brightly lit room in an unfamiliar bed, again. Not the best feeling in the world to consistently have. The wind rustling the curtains, the soft sound of a steady flow of water. Bofur sat in the chair across the room from me, fast asleep. Someone had dressed me in a white nightgown, my other clothes were nowhere to be found. I slid off the bed, wincing as I stood up. Neither of my wounds were fully healed but they were manageable. The power of Elvish healing was still a wonder to me. I hobbled out the door onto the patio, soaking in the view of the valley. There was a giant waterfall, the leaves gently rustled in the wind as I breathed in the fresh air. There was something familiar about this place, as if I had been here before, many years ago. I shook off the strange sense of familiarity and walked back to my room. There was a jug of water sitting on a table, without even bothering to pour it into a glass I drank straight from the jug. The water slid down my throat, replenishing and repairing all the cracks I had made with my inhuman screaming. 

"Thirsty, huh?" I heard a voice from behind me. I finished gulping the water and set the jug down. Bofur had woken up.

"How long was I out?"

"Only since yesterday. It's mid-morning right now." He replied. "Ya should get back to bed. Ya need rest."

"Bofur, I'm fine. I promise." I gave him a reassuring smile. I really did feel fine. "What are you doing in here?"

"The lads and I took turns keepin' watch.” He said. "Just to make sure you'ere okay." I was confused. Why did they even care what happened to me?

"Why would you? I'm not part of the company."

"You took a poisoned arrow for Thorin, lass. An arrow that could’ve had Morgul poisonin' on it. Thank goodness it didn’t, it was some sort of local bush those filth had found and tainted the arrow." He replied with a serious face, my hand grazed the wound on my side. “You may not be a part of our company lass, but we owe ya." 

“Well,” I took his hands into mine. “Thank you, I appreciate you all looking over me.” He patted my hands and with a smile 

"Ah, I see you're awake!" He said cheerfully. “Good to see your health returning, Nylelyth.” 

"How did you know my name?" 

"I take it that your memory is still fuzzy.” " He replied. He looked intently at me.

"What am I supposed to remember?" I was getting angry, I didn’t want to be a mystery anymore. I wanted to know 

"You lived here for a time." He said. "I took you in, as your mother fought with the dwarves of Erebor."

"What are you talking about?" Confusion clouded my voice. "I've never met you before?"

"I want to show you something, something that may refresh your memory." He gestured towards the door and reluctantly, I followed him. He led me down a corridor and up a huge flight of stairs. My side still ached, but I tried my best not to let him know that I was in pain. When we finally got to the stop, my jaw dropped in awe. It was on top of the tallest tower in Rivendell, a table with some chairs sat in the middle. The views around it were breathtaking. You could see for miles and miles through the valley. The forest was gleaming from the golden sun that shone above. The waterfall was behind us, falling in a rampage. Hitting the rocks, bouncing off them into a steady stream that ran around the platform. The covering of the platform was an ivory white awning, with green ivy leaves climbing to the top. I looked around, stunned at the beauty of my surroundings.

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked. Still looking around in shock at the effortless beauty and elegance of the elves. 

"I wanted you to meet someone, that might help you remember." He said. He pointed over to a corner of the platform. An elf stood there, her long hair cascading down her back like a river of blonde. The dress she wore was white, covered in sparkling white jewels that looked like starlight. She turned to me.

"Nylelyth." She smiled at me. "I know you do not remember who I am, but I was a great friend of yours, ages ago." I didn't know what to think. All of these random powerful people telling me that they know me and they were friends with me and my mother? What did they want from me?

"I think you have the wrong person." I tried backing away. "I don't know either of you." I paused. Lord Elrond put his hand on my back gently.

"Come here," the blonde elf said, holding out her hand, "let me help you remember, child" Lord Elrond softly pushed me towards her. I hesitated as I slipped my hand into hers. She closed her eyes, soon after my eyes closed as well.

In about two seconds, I saw thousands of years that I had lived. I saw wars, and people, and places that I had only dreamed of, or at least I thought were only dreams. Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel became more and more familiar. I collapsed on the ground, letting this wave of memories flood over me.

"What's happening?" I whispered. I curled into a ball, unable to comprehend what had just happened. "What am I?"

"You are Valar." Lady Galadriel said. She knelt down next to me, and stroked my hair. "You have the gift of immortality."

"How come I didn't remember?" My voice squeaked. “And how old am I exactly?”

“You are 6,000 years old, Nylelyth. And, a Valar created out of love is a powerful being.” She continued as she helped me up from my fetal position. “There is nothing else like you in this universe. Your mother and father were tirelessly devoted to you and keeping you safe. Evil returned to Aman and wanted to harness you and your power and release all types of destruction upon this world. In order to keep the world at peace, your mother took it upon herself to hide you away and keep you in secret. Raising you as a human instead of Valar to protect you.”

“So,” I straightened up my nightgown, brushing the leaves off. “My mother lied to me?” There was an awkward silence, Elrond and Galadriel glanced at each other. 

“She may have had to put an enchantment on you.” Elrond finally replied. “It was for your own good Nylelyth, no one could know where you were.”

“Not even  _ myself? _ Don’t I deserve to know what’s going on? It’s my power, it’s my life!” Frustration seeped from within me. I’m immortal, and no one bothered to tell me? “How long was I in the dark? How long did I believe I was just a human exile?” Another awkward pause. I folded my arms over my chest, my wounds were throbbing from the adrenaline. 

“Seven hundred years.” Galadriel bowed her head shamefully. 

“S-seven?  _ Seven hundred years? _ ” My jaw would have dropped but instead clenched in rage. “I’ve been in a human prison for seven hundred years?”

“We all felt it necessary at the time, I’m sorry Nylelyth, I truly am, but it was for the better of the world as well as yourself.” Elrond tried to comfort me, but I was way beyond a point of comfort. 

“I need some time for myself. Thank you for the information.” I finished, and huffed passed the two of them. My eyes began to tear, feeling nothing but betrayal I headed back to my room to clear my head. 

The memories of living in Rivendell had resurfaced, the tree covered courtyards feeling more like home. I remember the markets, the fairs, and the people. I remember a friend, someone warm and inviting, being with me for most of the time. She had long dark hair, her eyes were a beautiful blue color, and I always remember being jealous, but also astounded by her beauty. Her kindness overshadowed her looks, and she always made sure to make everyone feel welcome. The door to my room creaked open slowly. The warmth crept over me, I remembered that face. It was my old friend, Arwen, the daughter of Lord Elrond. She was the one to keep me company while I stayed here, and she hadn’t changed a bit. 

“Arwen?” 

"Nylelyth." She replied with a huge smile, holding her arms out for a reuniting hug. 

"Today has been awful." I embraced her as I reflected on what Elrond and Galadriel had told me. 

"Well then," She said to me in her cheeriest voice, wiping the rest of the tears from my face. "We will have to make tonight better! There is to be a celebration in honor of your return to Rivendell, everyone will be there!"

"E-everyone? I'm not sure I'm ready for that." I was apprehensive. Only just a few hours ago, I had remembered that I was alive for 6,000 years. "I don't think a celebration is necessary. Nor do I want one."

"Of course it is," she argued. She always won those. "You've been gone for some time Nye. And after everything that has happened, a little fun is just what you need. And of course, your dwarvish friends will be invited." I rolled my eyes because fighting it was useless, Arwen was an Elvish princess who always got her way. 

Later on, she had laid out some dresses that had once belonged to me, years ago. It seemed like a totally different life, it felt as if I was a different person now. Lord Elrond had always been so kind to me. He gifted me with beautiful dresses and jewelry, as if I was Arwen's sister. I had picked out my favorite dress for the party, it was dark blue, adorned with tiny crystals on the bodice making it look like a starry night sky. The neckline attached around the neck, exposing my shoulders and upper back to the world while the sleeves draped down to the bottom of the dress. It was my favorite because it reminded me of my mother, and it made me feel truly elegant. Arwen had pulled half of my hair back, a traditional Elvish hairstyle, and braided the two strands. I looked myself in the mirror up and down, now I really was a completely different person.

"You look beautiful  _ mellonamin _ ." I looked at her, she had on her lavender dress. The sleeves cut down the middle so her bare shoulders were exposed.

"Not as beautiful as you,  _ Vanimle sila tiri _ ,  _ Arwenamin _ ." My Elvish sounded so homely compared to Arwen’s velvet smooth voice. 

"You know that you do not have to call me My Lady, you are a part of my family. You are the sister that I never had." She squeezed me slightly, I blushed a little bit. "Now, let us go to the celebration and shock everyone there with how beautiful you are." She took my arm as we walked down the hallway to where the gathering was held. I had spent the whole day with Arwen, catching up on things that we had both missed in each other's lives. Not much had changed in the 200 years that I had been gone. We walked into the party, lively music and dancing could be heard as the elves celebrated my return. I didn’t really understand why that was a celebration, but I wasn’t ready to deny some good food as my stomach practically ate itself. Lord Elrond came over and laid a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"It's nice to have you back Nylelyth." He gave me a smile. “I hope we can move forward from our conversation this morning, I want nothing but the best for you.” 

"It's nice to be back, Lord Elrond." I returned the smile in reassurance. “I’ve come to accept my predicament, and it’ll take time to fully understand and forgive.” 

“I understand, Nylelyth, take all the time you need.” He patted me and glided over to the table, signaling it was time to eat. I saw Fili and Kili quietly slip into the room, following the crowd. The dwarves sat at the opposite end of the table, sadly gazing into the bowls of salad that sat in front of them, probably wondering where all the meat was. I noticed that Thorin didn’t join the occasion, probably cursing the rest of the company for jumping on any promise of free food and drink. 

"That dwarf with the dark hair has done nothing but stare at you since we walked in." Arwen nudged me, I glanced up to notice Kili’s eyes boring a hole into me, and he didn’t stop when he noticed me. She raised her eyebrows and looked at me. "Is there something going on that I should know about?" 

“Well first off, he’s the one who shot me.” I sat back hiding behind Arwen, trying to get somewhat out of his view.

“Him?” She glanced back at Kili. “I would’ve thought it was the large balding one who always has weapons on him!” We shared a laugh, the wine I had been drinking made my face hot. 

“Second, I don’t think anything  _ could _ happen even if I wanted it to, he’s a dwarvish prince, Arwen.” I took a sip of wine, she nodded in agreement and continued eating. “Besides he’s probably just curious as to who I am, once he figures it out he will become uninterested.” She rolled her eyes at this, but dropped the subject. As the party carried on, both elves and dwarves became tipsy and loud, something that had not been seen for some time. Kili kept staring at me from a distance, but never approached me. A part of me wished that he would, it wished that he would sweep me off my feet and we could get away from here. Wait-  _ what was I thinking? He was a dwarvish prince! And I’m already on Thorin’s ‘assassinate when I have the chance’ list.  _ In the midst of being lost in thought, a figure approached me, but not the one that I had hoped for. 

"My name is Emeryn, you are Nylelyth, correct?" He asked, it was an elf, his long blonde hair rolling over his shoulders. I nodded. "Would you care for a dance?" I hesitated, but maybe this would distract me from thinking of Kili. 

**Kili:**

I was going to see Nylelyth in the morning as soon as I could. Oin and the Elven healers had demanded that I sleep in a bed on the second night of her being asleep. I had reluctantly agreed, but I could see now that I really did need the rest. The morning sun had just breached the horizon, and I readied myself for the day. Fearing it was too early to wake Nye, I stood on the patio of my room. It overlooked the courtyards of Rivendell, with the huge waterfall that filled the canals rushing right next to it. She had been with me all night, in my thoughts and in my dreams. I dreamt that she was there next to me, her curly hair draped across the silk pillows, our bodies pressed together… just thinking of it made me sweat. There was something about her that just understood me, without saying a word. A connection was undeniable, and I hoped that maybe she felt the same way. After some time, and some puffs on my pipe, I decided it was time. I made my way into the halls of Rivendell, desperate to find the woman who was haunting my every step. When I got to the door, it was slightly ajar. 

“Nye?” I called out, no answer. I gradually opened the door. “Nylelyth?” She was nowhere to be found, and Bofur was gone as well. So much for staying on nightwatch. I sighed deeply, hoping that I hadn’t seen the last of her. 

I had stayed in my room most of the day, depressed about this situation, and sitting on the patio hoping to catch a glimpse of her to prove myself wrong. She hadn’t come by my room, none of the other dwarves had seen her around, and I was starting to lose hope. There was a polite knock on the door, and I scrambled out of my chair to answer it. Disappointment came over me as I was met face to face with an elf man, holding a piece of parchment. 

“Hello, master dwarf.” He smiled politely and handed me the parchment. “There is to be a celebration this evening for Nylelyth’s return and you have been graciously invited by the Lord of the House. Will you be attending?” 

“Uh sure I guess?” I replied,  _ since when was she so friendly with the elves?  _ The elf bowed then turned away, his blonde hair cascading down his shoulders. Why didn’t she come to see me? Why didn’t she tell me about the party herself? I needed answers, determined I stormed out of my room and down the hall to hers. Outside the door, I waited for a moment. I heard laughing, like two old friends marinating in conversation, I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt. She sounded happy, something that I hadn’t truly seen her as before. Another deep sigh from me, I backed away from the door and I headed back towards my room. The hours passed, and I sat in the same spot, replaying that dream over and over until it felt like a memory. The wine definitely helped as I watched the sun sink into the valley, considering if I should even go to the celebration, was I really welcome? Uncle didn’t take the elves too well to begin with, would it be a dishonor to go? Would it be a dishonor  _ not _ to go? My mind raced with these thoughts as I heard an urgent knock on the door, scrambling even more this time because of the wine I swung it open. 

“Fili?” I stared at him puzzled. “What are you doing here?”

“You have to come to the celebration, come on.” He jerked me out of the room.

“Why do I have to go? I don’t think Uncle would like it if we went.” I begrudgingly followed Fili down the corridor. 

“Doesn’t matter right now, Kili.” He pulled me along, moving even faster now. “Come on! We’re going to be late!”

“Fili I don’t even think she wants us there.” I tried to make excuses, nervous to see her, questioning if she would even notice me. “I don’t think we should go.” 

“Well everyone else is already there,” He kept pulling. “And you’ll understand why I’m doing this when we get there…” Fighting the urge to run away, I let him drag me all the way to the door. After adjusting my coat slightly from the brotherly love, I immediately noticed what he was talking about. Nylelyth stood across the room from me, her dark brown hair flowing down her back. The blue dress that exposed her shoulders complimented her greatly, hugging her hips much like the silk sheets in my dream. 

“Fi… Wow.” I was speechless,  _ there’s no way she’s only human _ I thought to myself, too scared to conspire out loud. He gave me a good wink as Lord Elrond had finished his conversation with her, and moved towards the dining table gesturing everyone to join him. I followed the crowd and took my seat next to the rest of the company who had decided to show up, which was everyone but Thorin. She was mesmerizing, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her even when she caught me in the act. Dinner carried on, the array of vegetables and fruits getting tiring as I downed the last of my wine. A familiar elf approached Nye, the one who had given me the invitation to this gathering stood before her with his hand outstretched, presumably asking for a dance. My fist tightened around my wine glass. 

“Might want to loosen your grip there, Ki.” Fili poured more wine into the glass that was practically vibrating in my hand. “It’s just a dance.” He nodded towards Nye gliding through the dance floor, arms linked together with the blond elf. I finished off the just filled glass of wine as the music ended, and the crowd began clapping. The blond elf leaned in closer to Nye, whispering something in her ear. My heart jumped into my throat, jealousy filling every part of me. The more I watched them interact, the more envious I became. My hand clenched tighter and tighter around the glass, so tight that the glass shattered into a million pieces slicing and cutting my hand all over. The sound of shattering glass rang out over the crowd, causing a painful silence over the room. Blood began to pour out of my wounds, some glass still sticking out. Nylelyth stared straight at me, her eyes full of worry but before I could react Fili and Oin had whisked me away to be treated. 

**Translations:**

**mellonamin- my friend**

**Vanimle sila tiri, Arwenamin- Your beauty shines bright, my lady**


End file.
